Gainesville: Kurt Johnson eliminations summary

Kurt Johnson makes his 2003 ACDelco Cavalier a winner in Gainesville.
Gainesville, Fla., March 16, 2003 - ACDelco Pro Stock pilot Kurt Johnson
made the debut of the 2003 Cavalier in NHRA Pro Stock competition
a successful one by scoring an ...

Kurt Johnson makes his 2003 ACDelco Cavalier a winner in Gainesville.

Gainesville, Fla., March 16, 2003 - ACDelco Pro Stock pilot Kurt Johnson
made the debut of the 2003 Cavalier in NHRA Pro Stock competition
a successful one by scoring an impressive win at today's Mac Tools
Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. Just over one week after completing
the work to update his race car, Johnson faced off against 2002 POWERade
champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final round.

Both cars left the line as if welded together, with Coughlin seeming to
gain a very slight edge in the first 300 feet. However, the legendary
Johnson horsepower soon took over, and Kurt pulled ahead to stay by
half-track, crossing the finish line in 6.825 seconds with a top speed
of 202.65 mph, to Coughlin's 6.840-second, 201.29 mph effort. This is
the 24th national event win of KJ's illustrious career, but first at
storied Gainesville Raceway.

"I've been coming to Gainesville Raceway since 1976, when Dad (six-time
Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson) was the runner-up, and it's stuck in
my mind ever since," stated Johnson. "It's a great place to race, and
we normally run extremely well here. I've done it all in Gainesville.
I was the runner-up in 1999 and I've broken parts here. Now I've put
my ACDelco Cavalier in the winner's circle, and to have done that is
something special."

Starting third, KJ was the beneficiary of Mike Edwards foul start in
the first round. Despite the automatic win, Johnson powered down the
quarter-mile and recorded the quickest elapsed time of eliminations at
6.808 seconds with at top speed of 203.48 mph to earn lane choice for
his second round encounter with Mark Whisnant.

After disposing of Whisnant, the younger member of the Johnson racing
family then met current POWERade points leader Greg Anderson in the
semi-finals, who had been one of the quickest cars throughout the
weekend. Knowing he would need every possible advantage, Kurt used
his best reaction time of the day to leave the starting line fifteen
thousandths of a second ahead of his rival, which, when combined
with his 6.823-second elapsed time (vs. Anderson's 6.824-second
effort) helped propel Johnson into the 41st final round of his career.
"After the first qualifying session on Friday, when we were the No. 1
qualifier, we knew our ACDelco Cavalier was a good race car," explained
Johnson. "It's been good for the last six races, and especially since
Saturday morning in Phoenix. Even though this is the first race for the
2003 bodystyle, and we still have a lot of work to bring it to its full
potential, we can already tell that it improves the balance of the race
car.

"As close as the competition is in this category, you have to have the
whole package to win. In the first two rounds today, the car did its
job, but I was a little off. Going into the races against Greg and Jeg,
I knew I would have to step up to the plate, and I did. In addition, we
made some good calls in the pits. Everything just came together for us
today."

This win was particularly significant in light of the effort put forth
by the ACDelco crew to ensure their car would be ready in time for this
event, and Kurt was quick to credit those responsible.

"My ACDelco crew did an incredible job over the last few weeks getting
the car changed over," detailed Johnson. "On their way home from
Phoenix, they were delayed in Dallas by an ice storm, but once they were
back in the shop, they worked non-stop to get the job done.

"As soon as the car was finished, we were at the track in Atlanta
testing. After that, we were in the wind tunnel for a day before heading
down here. Honestly, without Kevin (Horst) and Joe (Cottle)'s hard work
and dedication, as well as everyone back at the shop, this win would not
have happened.

"Naturally, it feels good to win. We've now won a race every year for
the last nine years, and it's great to get this year out of the way
early. We're excited about the rest of the season, and are looking
forward to going to Las Vegas in a few weeks. But tonight, we're going
to enjoy this win before getting back to work tomorrow."